Automatic implement lift for plows



NOV' l2 1946- s. G. wAsHBuRN AUTOMATIC IMPLEMENT LFT FR FLOWS med nay27, 1944 Patented Nov. 12. 1946 2,411,072 AUTDMATIC LEMENT LIFT FORPLQWS Selden G. Washburn, Goodwin, S. Dak. Application May 27, 1944,Serial No. 537,686

3 Claims. (El. 97-74) This invention relates to agricultural plows, and

has special reference .to one that -might aptly be referred to as abeamless plow.

The principal object is to provide means for support of a plow that willalleviate the abuse thereto when engaging obstructing objects such aslarge stones or `the like while plowing.

Another object is to provide such auxiliary supporting means of assimple and durable construction as possible.

Other objects and advantages may appear in -the further description of.the invention.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing.

forming part of .this application and in which like reference numeralsindicate like parts: l

Fig. l is a side elevation of a two-bottom gang or sulliey plowembodying the invention and showing one of the plows as being in dangerof engagement with an obstruction, asa large stone or other object, andautomatically jumping up and over it.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of'Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear elevation of the toggle equipment for one ofthe plows, and

Fig. i is a horizontal sectional view on the line -fl of Fig. 1illustrating the cooperation between the guiding sheave holder and theleg of one of the plows.

In the drawing, I, 2, 3, and Il represent coopera- .tive parts of oneform of practical rigid metal chassis 4for .the two-bottom sulkey whichis preferably made of angle or channel bars commonly used for suchpurposes.

The following description will be confined principally to the nearraised plow, which it is thought, will adequately cover the instantinvention as the equipment for a diiferent assembly of bottoms may varyconsiderably in chassis construction.

Now, in place of a beam disposed usually horizontally and above the plowor plows proper for drawing same through the ground, the chassis abovereferred to, provides such means, and the plow is equipped to functionat will, to a, limited extent at least, independently of the action ofthe chassis.

To accomplish this, I have provided the elongated open link-like leg 5 5fixed as at B-B to the heel of the landside 1 of the plow, said legbeing reciprocably as well as rockably attached to one beam oi .thechassis, which in this instance, as we are describing only the nearerone oi the plows shown, is the beam 4. This pivotal support comprisesthe roller or sheave-lilre member 8 loosely jcurnaled within an odsetbearing intermediate of the beam d and the encompassing bracket 9provided for the purpose. This bearing also functions as the fulcrum forthe leg during its rocking movement.

The stock of which this leg 5--5 is formed, is'

preferably of round iron to more closely iit into the opposite sides ofthe sheave 8, and .to limit the lowermost permanent Working position ofthe plow, the cross-bar member is formed intermediate of the opposedspaced members 5-5 of the leg and spaning said space so that when theplow has traveled to its downward limit, the cross-bar l@ will restdirectly upon the sheaye 8.

As control and auxiliary support for the plow I have provided the sortof toggle connection in cluding the major bracing members H--l l, one ofwhich is pivotally attached at its lowermost forward end to the member tof the chassis as at I2, and the other attached as at.32 to the member 2of the chassis, while the opposite ends of these braces are pivotallyattached as at I3 to the upper arched end of the leg 5--5 land-beyondwhich point i3 lthey extend somewhat as at it where they pivotally carryas at l5 the arm i8 connected at ll to the long arm i8 of the bellcranklever, the opposite or short arm` being illustrated at I9 and the leverpivoted as :at 2li between the upright spaced and iixed members 2|-2Irigidly supported upon the rearmost .terminal of the beam of thechassis.

This bell-crank lever controls the raising and lowering of lthe ploweither automatically or by hand and for which latter purpose, theforward end of lthe chassis is equipped with any suitable form of handlever 22 therefor, which of course, must be' always set with sufficientslack in its connection to the short arm I9 of the bell-crank controllever to permit the automatic functioning of the plow when normally atwork, such yieldable connection may be in the form of a chain as shownat 23 or a longitudinally slotted bar, not shown.

Now .the power for the automatic functioning of the plow is provided bythe relatively strong contractile helical spring 24 installed within theleash 40 which is attached at one end .to the forward end of .thechassis as at 25 and at its opposite end to the depending quadrant 2Bfixed to the under side of the arm I8 of the bell-crank lever, thisquadrant being for convenient selective adjustment of the tension of thespring 25.

Obviously, this spring must be of suilicient y strength and normaltautness to hold the arm I8 'is at work, and at which time the pivotalconnection IB is slightly rearwardly oi' the stationary pivotalpoint'Zll in the support 2 I-2 I Thus any upward stress at the upperends of the Ibraces Il-i I, for example, byy the colter 30 engaging anobstruction as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, will tend to openthejackknifed attitude of theltoggle members just described andpermit'the plow to jump over the obstruction engaged, thence instantly,by gravity, and aid of the spring 24, return to its work in the furrow.

'As a colter for such a plow, I prefer to use the disk or roller type,as shown at 30, which may have, as here illustrated, a double supportingarm :ii-3l attached pivotally and externally of the braces iI-II andupon the same pivot therewith as at I3, thus simplifying the toggleconnection and making it susceptible to functioning by the action of thecolter as well as possibly by the action of the plow.

These colter supporting arms 3i-3I are tethered as at 35 to the leg 5-5of the plow so that the colter can not move beyond a predetermineddistance above or forwardly beyond the point of the plow. depending uponthe type of plowing being done and/or the nature of the land 'beingvworked.

These colter supporting arms are also yieldably attached to the brace Iiabove same by means of the contractile helical spring36, these arms alsohaving an auxiliary limiting attachment as at 31 whereby to insureupward or jumping action of the plow as well as the colter after thelatter has engaged a material obstruction that otherwise might have donedamage.

It so happens that in the construction of a two-bottom chassis as shown,it is advantageous to utilize portions of the toggle bracing incooperatively uniting parts of the chassis, and to which end, one of thebraces Il between which the uppermost arcuate end of the plow leg 6-5 ispivoted, extends diagonally forwardly over to the other side member 2 ofthe chassis, and pivotally attached thereto at 3g as previously stated.v

A similar brace 33 functions in alike manner for the lowered or workingplow and is brought over diagonally therefrom and pivotally attached asat 3l to the side member 4 of the chassis, thus stabilizing the latterlstructure materially as well as adding support for the plows.

There is suggested at 4I means for attachment to a tractor or otherpower for pulling the sulky,

and according to circumstances and does not form any part of thisinvention.

While I haveshown and described one form of specific novel togglemechanism for permitting automatic action of, a plow to prevent itsbeing damaged when an obstruction is encountered,

, it is to -be understood that the same may be varied materially withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

What I claim is: 4 1. In automatic release means for a plow; a

supporting chassis'for said plow, a vertically re.

`supported by said chassis, an open verticallyV movable beam supportingAsaid plow from said chassis, a rotatable bearing carried by saidchassis forming the connection of said beam with said chassis to permitsaid vertical movement, a lever pivotally attached'at one end to theforward end of said chassis and adjacent the opposite end pivotallyattached to the upper end of said beam, compound toggle means pivotallyattached at the extreme rearmost end of said lever and supported by saidchassis and manually operable fromvthe forward end thereof for raisingand lowering said plow, a colter supporting arm'plvoted at its upper endat the union of I said lever and said beam, and contractile spring lmeans connecting said colter arm with said beam to normally keep saidcolter ahead of said plow whereby when said plow and colter are innormal working position and said colter contacts an obstruction inadvance of said plow, said plow and colter will automatically be raisedaway from said obstruction.

3. In a plow and chassis therefor of the character described; meansincluding a reciprocal beam rigidly fixed to said plow and a coltersuspended from the upper end of said beam and operable in advance ofsaid plow for automatically raising same from injuriously contacting anobstruction in the furrow being made by said plow,

said means furtherv characterized vby being pivotally guided from theforward end of said chassis.

. SELDEN G. WASHBURN.

